Louis
by HamSquad
Summary: Set a few weeks after the end of Ice Age 4, this story is about how I think Louis would, or would not, tell Peaches his feelings. It's currently a work-in-progress, and I have no determined ending yet.
1. Chapter 1

It's too cold in my new burrow; then again, it's always been too cold in my burrow ever since... I've been on my own for as long as I can remember, well... Sort of on my own. At least I've got my friends... uh... friend. _Is she still my friend?_ She told Ethan we weren't, but she still hangs out with me. _Why does she like Ethan so much? _Oh... never mind! Go to sleep, Louis.

Finally! I can see the early morning sun seeping through the cracks in the roof of the burrow. I dig out, making myself the promise that I will find out if Peaches likes me back the very next time I see her. I've no intention of actually asking her of course; I'm too much of a coward to ever do it, especially with anyone else around. Oh well, I better go find something for breakfast. I dig back down and off in the direction of the berry bushes, and I only hit my head on two rocks this time... okay, three!

There's lots of berries today; looks like I won't have to find any worms this morning. I slowly chew down a few of the ripe ones; they've got a very tart flavor, but I kind of like it. When I've finished, I dig off toward Peaches' tree. It's still early so the herd is probably still asleep.

***Thump***

Ow! This must be one of the roots of the tree. I still haven't quite gotten used to the layout of this new island. I tunnel up. Looking around, I can see everyone; well, almost everyone. Wait! _Where's Sid's granny?!_

She's always wandering off... I better go find her. _So, where could she be?_ I pause, thinking. I know; she's probably down by the beach trying to find her pet.

...

"Granny?!" I call, working up as loud a sound as I can muster. I've been walking along the beach for almost ten minutes, and I've only found one set of tracks in the sand.

"Granny," I call again, "darn it. She's too old to hear me, and I'm too..."

"Who you calling old?" A raspy voice interrupts. I jump a little.

"Oh... uh... s-sorry ma'am." I squeak out in my fright. "W-what are you doing out here; it's dangerous to be out alone this early in the morning."

"Well aren't you one to talk, shorty." I feel all the blood in my body rush to my cheeks at her rebuttal. "Shouldn't you be taking your own advice?"

"I guess so..." I say, "but you're the one with the family to be with."

"Hey, don't you have Peaches."

"What!? P-P-Peaches!? She's... uh... she's just my f-friend..." It stung to say that. If all my blood isn't already contained in my face, it certainly is now. _Why can't I just get it out that I l-love Peaches? Why won't my mouth just say the one thing I've had eating at me since before I can remember!? _I look up and see Granny's eyes staring at me; there's some hint of understanding being conveyed by them. So much so, actually, that I start to wonder if I've just shouted those questions in her face.

"Boy, you got it bad." she says, smiling an empty-toothed smile and scruffing my hair.

"W-wait, you... you know that I l-l-lo..." She shuts my mouth before I can finish.

"Shh... Don't worry. I'll keep your little secret, if you walk me back to the tree." She pats my head again; I find it hard to believe that she seems so sour but can actually be sweet.

"Thank you, and sure." I say, beginning to walk back towards the tree. It's a short walk back, but the flowers and trees look beautiful. Not another word is said between us the whole way, though Granny does smile sympathetically at me before returning to sleep next to Sid.

I sit on a flat rock near the tree, waiting as patiently as I can for the herd to awaken. A ray of sunlight casts through the tree canopy and lands directly on the rock; it feels warm and calming as I sit there, absorbing the heat of the sun as it hits my fur. I'm glad it's warmer this morning; it was far too cold last night, but this kind of makes up for it. I can see Peaches; she looks so calm and peaceful sleeping there in the tree. She's so unique, so beautiful. I can hear her breathing, slow and rhythmic. Her belly rises and falls as she breathes in and out... in and out... in... and out... in...

...

"Louis!" _What?_ _Who is that? Where am I? Am I asleep? _I open my eyes; It's too bright! I can't see anything. I must have fallen asleep on the rock. My eyes start to adjust, and I see a familiar pair of green, dazzling eyes looking back at me.

"Peaches?" I slowly let her name roll off my tongue and feel myself smile as I say it.

"Louis, what are you doing out here, all alone?" She asks quizzically. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing out here. I was just sitting in the faint morning sun what feels like a few seconds ago, and now it's blazing high in the sky.

"Uh... I don't know... I guess I... I fell asleep..." Not a very good explanation on my part, but at least I didn't tell her that I was watching her sleep. "I was waiting on this rock... I, I didn't get much sleep last night, but I have more energy now."

I see Crash and Eddie walking up, and given the evil smirks on their faces, I don't think they have anything nice to say. "Awe... Did Wiener have a bad dream?" Guess I was right; even given my apparent boldness within my own mind, I still feel my cheeks flush red.

"Wha-what!? N-n-no! It's... It's just really cold in my burrow at night." To be honest, I did have a bad dream. I have them far too often, but I've definitely had enough to be sure they're not real. Though, it would be nice to have someone next to me while I sleep to ward them off... Peaches gives Crash and Eddie a look that even scares me, though that doesn't take much, and they rush away, chuckling to themselves.

"It's okay, Louis. Everyone's scared every once in a while." She says sympathetically. She doesn't know the half of it; I'm terrified by my own shadow sometimes, but at least she's trying to cheer me up. Unexpectedly, she gently raps her trunk around my chest and slowly hoists me off the rock and into the air; she then places me on her head and says cheerily, "Let's go find something to do."

"Okay." I say reluctantly. I just hope that by "find something to do" she doesn't really mean "hang out with Ethan."

* * *

**Hola. Well... this is my first story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. And also, I'm thinking about making the title of each chapter be named after a song I think relates to it. For example, this chapter's song is "I'd do Anything" by Simple Plan.**


	2. Chapter 2

Peaches is walking toward our "peers's" new hang out; it's another waterfall, much like the last one. Of course Peaches would want to hang out with Ethan and the other mammoths her age, and I'm riding on her head so it's not like I have much say in the matter. I guess if it makes her happy, I'd be fine with putting up with Ethan and Steffie for a while, and it's not like I would be jumping on board to hang out with some weakling molehog...

I look around at the trees and flowers then down at Peaches; she's so lovely. She's never worried about things; she's always so happy and kind to everyone. _Why can't I just break out of this shell I've put myself in and tell her how I feel? Why don't I just tell her right now? _I open my mouth to speak, "P... P-Peaches..."

"Yes, Louis?" She responds innocently. _What am I doing?_ I can't just shove something this big in her face and expect any form of answer! Quick, Louis; come up with something else to say and fast. Compliment her; say something!

"Uh... uh... you're so pretty today..." Well... you didn't say that very convincingly, but at least you meant it...

"Oh, Louis; you're so sweet. Thank you!"

"N-no problem..." Actually, there's still technically that problem of me secretly loving you. _When can I tell her?_ _When will it be the right time? Why am I in the air? Why is Peaches looking at me like that? _She answers my last question in a way that can ony serve to increase my pool of questions a hundredfold; she slowly pecks my cheek with a light, soft kiss. _What!?_ _Does she like me back, or is she just expressing gratitude for the compliment? Can I tell her how I feel now?_ She's looking at me now with her big, sparkling eyes. I stare back into them; they make me feel so small, but they bring with them a feeling of warmth and safety that floods my senses with life. But, just as fast as they came, they rush away, and Peaches raises me back up and places me atop her head.

We traverse the short distance to the falls in complete silence; when we come close enough to hear the reverberating drum of hooves and feet, Peaches begins to quicken her pace. I begin to wonder it I'm missing something; _what is so appealing about Ethan? Why does Peaches like him? _And furthermore, _does she even like me?_ Peaches walks out into the grassy flat next to the falls where the rest of the animals are flocked. Ethan and his group notice us and become silent for a few seconds before continuing to talk. Peaches approaches them inattentively, and I hear through the din a short, "Here comes possum girl." and, "Why'd she bring the molehog?" _Why do they think it's bad that she's part possum?_ It makes her special, unique. It's part of why I like her so much; _why can't they see that it makes her better? _Peaches wouldn't be Peaches if she wasn't part possum. Addressing the comments about me- I'm self conscious enough as it is... Peaches doesn't seem to notice or at least pretends no to and continues to walk toward them. I feel a cynical smirk betray my feelings and quickly attempt to replace it with a friendly smile, but the best I can manage is a faint, awkward grin.

Peaches reaches the threshold at which a "hello" is required and they exchange greetings. I stay silent, hoping not to draw attention to myself which does little more than to attract a glance and and a remake of, what I can only imagine as, the same fake smile I just offered from all of them.

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. I spend most of my time sitting on the sidelines, watching Peaches hang out with her friends. Then we all go down to the berry bushes to eat; thought I eat much less than everyone else, understandably so. We then go swimming for quite some time, and the sun is soon clawing at the edge of oblivion as it sinks below the horizon, sending out streaks of color in every shade and hue. I say goodnight to Peaches and dig back toward my burrow. I stop on a treeless hill nearby to watch the remainder of the sunset. The diving sun releases rays of colors, darting the sky to appear as a rainbow for a few faint seconds before receding as the sun loses its perpetual battle and succumbs to its ever pulling free fall. I realize something now: I should have been enjoying my time with peaches, not worrying about whether or not she likes me back, and I should have savored her kiss, not complicated it with my own emotions.

I dig back to my burrow. I get a few hours of sleep but continue to wake up. Another bad dream. The temperature continues to drop and it's colder every time I awaken. _Does it have to be this cold every night?_ Tomorrow I should find a way to make my burrow warmer or else I may never get any sleep.

...

I feel the warm morning sun falling upon me and a cool, crisp morning breeze. Wait a minute... _why is the sun able to reach me in my burrow? _I quickly open my eyes, but I see nothing but black, though this black seems to be closer to me than that of my burrow ceiling. I reach out a hand to touch it; it soft... and furry? I become aware of a slow, rhythmic beating emanating from all around me. _Where am I?_ I can feel the heat of the sun cascading onto my back, so I roll over to orient myself toward a light source in order to establish my where-abouts. It's too bright to make out much more than the horizon, but I am definitely not on the ground.

I regain my sight, and I can see the trunk of a tree from which I appear to be dangling. _Am I in Peaches' arms?_ She came and found me... _she brought me here?_ It occurs to me that my spines must be jabbing her, and I turn myself back towards her.

I feel her breathing hasten. I must have woken her up; I hear a quiet gasp. She seems just as surprised as me; she probably completely forgot about what she'd done. I open my mouth and whisper, "Peaches?"

"Louis?"

"Th... thank you." I feel her breathing slow again and she whispers something inaudible to me. I assume she said, "No Problem."

_Why'd she bring me here?_ She's risking the wrath of her father and the complete ostrasization by her so called friends by even being around me, let alone doing something like this...

* * *

**This chapter's song is "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.**


	3. Chapter 3

We remain hanging in the tree thinking to ourselves for about thirty seconds, then Peaches slowly, silently lowers herself to the ground and puts me atop her head. The sun is still excruciatingly bright, and I find it hard to open my eyes for more than a few seconds. Peaches sneaks away from the tree as if she were trying to keep from falling through thin ice. When we're out of ear shot from anyone else who might be awake, Peaches stops and puts me on the ground.

"We'll have time to talk later." She whispers. Then she turns around and sneaks back to her tree; I notice her peak back at me before climbing up. _What does she mean, 'talk later?'_ I hope she doesn't actually want me... to talk! I can barely talk around her when I've got a clue as to what is going on, this definitely not being one of those times.

I look over at Peaches, wondering what could be going through her head. _Is she thinking the same things about me?_ I hope she's not... It's too cold. this not knowing, this ignorance, would be to much for her. She's too kind to deserve it. The morning sun outlines her glowing fur against the slushy backdrop; I love her. I love her, and it hurts too much to not know if she loves me. If she is feeling the same way, _how will she ever forgive me for not telling her for so long?_

"You have to tell her eventually." I say to myself.

I perk me ears up. Something has just shuffled through the tall grass behind me. "Who's there?" I whimper. The rustling stops; _was it just the wind? _Suddenly, and fierce, orange mass heaves itself into the air at me. My face turns white as a ghost. Run! Hide! Get out of here, Louis!

I dig underground, just dodging whatever it is. I dig away from the tree as fast as I can for about twenty seconds, and I slowly pop my head out to see if it's still after me. It is. It's sprinting toward me with a fury, but I can see it clearly now. _Diego!?_ He's just about to reach me, but I continue to dig away. I try to talk to him, but after having to dig away several more times I can only get out a few words at a time.

"Diego... what... are you... doing..." I manage to get out between escapes. Diego doesn't seem to hear me. I keep digging, but he's still charging after me.

We get a great distance away from the tree, and I've little energy left to continue.

***Smash***

Ah! I hit something really hard; my head is buzzing. I exhume myself. _What did I hit?_ A colossal cliff spans as far as I can see to both sides, and Diego is rushing towards me. I stand there looking into his fiery eyes.

He stops a few inches from me, staring into my frightened eyes. He looks as if his minds has gone blank; his snarling muzzle is the scariest thing I've ever seen. He's going to eat me!

"Why? Diego, why?" I feel searing tears streak down my ghostly face. Diego continues to look into my eyes as though he's trans vexed. Suddenly, something changes in his face; his eyes widen and his muzzle softens. He looks shocked, unable to process what is going on.

"Oh no! Are you okay!? I'm so sorry, Louis! I blacked out! I'm sorry." His sudden change in demeanor confuses me, but I'm too busy freaking out and being happy to be alive to say anything. My legs feel weak and numb, so I just kind of fall to the ground, crying. The crying is a fusion of happiness and misery. It was all almost over, and no one new that I loved them, not even Peaches...

"Louis? Louis, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" I can hear Diego talking, but I can't form any words over my sobbing.

"It's okay, Louis; you're okay. I'm sorry." Diego sits me up and pulls me toward him, looking into my eyes. I can tell he meant his apology, and my nerves start to calm themselves. _What set Diego off so much? Is he okay?_ I see a single, little tear stain his face; Diego is crying! I suddenly feel an immense urge to make him feel happy; I pull him close to me and hug his muzzle.

"I'm fine, but what's eating you?" I say as ironically as possible, trying to cheer him up.

"Oh, thank goodness- you're okay." He restates, "I was worried I'd given you a heart attack."

"It's alright, Diego. I'm totally fine, but why are you so angry?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"It's ah... it's nothing..." He dodges. That's a bit frustrating- obviously something made him angry enough to try to kill me... But, if he really doesn't want to talk about it, _should I make him?_

"Okay," I say, "but if you ever want to talk about it, I'd be willing to listen."

"Thanks, Louis..." He looks around then back at me; the look on his face clues me in. He does want to tell me. "Here's the deal: you can't tell anyone. Okay?"

"Okay, sure." I confirm. _Who would I tell,_ and, furthermore, _who does Diego think I would tell?_

He starts off slowly, "Uh... Shira's... uh... Shira's..." Wow... I thought I was the only one who stuttered that much... "Shira's pregnant."

"Wow! Congratulations!" I say, "Wait; why were you angry then?"

"She doesn't know if I'm the father..." He states a little condescendingly. Well, I guess I walked right into this one.

"Oh, uh... s-sorry." I say. And I guess all that confidence was never going to last.

"No, it's fine. You didn't know." He says sympathetically, "Speaking of not knowing..." He wouldn't go there; I know exactly what he's about to do, and, quite frankly, I'm tired of everyone always bringing up Peaches just to make me tense. I'm about to tunnel away when Diego catches the look of disdain in my eye and stops me.

"Louis, wait. I was about to say that I didn't even know there were any other sabers here." Well... now I feel like a jerk, yet Diego does seem to feel the same way. _Can I have one conversation that isn't awkward?_

"Okay, Diego, sorry for my complete ineptness; can we just..."

"Act like this never happened?" He finishes.

"That's probably the best idea." I confirm, "So what exactly is your plan to deal with this?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but... Shira has assured me that I'm the one she wants to be the father." He states skeptically. I guess I can see why; it must be really hard to trust someone after that. My mind wanders a bit over the possibility that Ethan actually really likes Steffie and I've nothing to worry about. It would certainly make it simpler that way, and I wouldn't have to worry about Ethan not getting to be with whomever he wanted, too. And what if Peaches really doesn't like me after all, not even as a friend? I can't stand to think that, but it's only going to get harder until I ask her and find out.

Diego shakes me out of my thoughts, "What's up with you?" He asks.

"Oh, uh, just... uh, just deep in a thought."

"About?" I was worried he'd ask that; of course we all know he knows what I was thinking about. Then again, maybe he doesn't, but I'm pretty sure he does. I'm starting to think that everyone knows I love Peaches, except Peaches.

"Louis," Diego probes again, "you still trapped in that thought?"

"Yeah." I answer mechanically.

"You wanna tell me what it is you're thinking about?" He asks again, feigning irritation. Either he just wants to make fun of me, or he's actually interested in what I'm thinking. _Should I risk letting him know my feelings about Peaches?_ I notice my thoughts rambling again; I should probably tell him something.

"Well... I was thinking about... about..." My voice trails off. Diego looks at me arrogantly and cocks an eyebrow.

He finishes my sentences for me, "Peaches?" I nod reluctantly, preparing myself for his onslaught.

Diego grins, "Just tell her already." He states matter-of-factually. _Sympathy, kindness? _I almost feel cheated; some "remorseless assassin" he turned out to be. Still, he does have quite the advantage on me, and poking fun at him doesn't seem like the best approach.

"How?" I ask.

"You think I'm in the position to give romantic advice?" He counters; well, he's got a point.

"I guess not." I say.

"Suddenly, a shout pierces through the otherwise silent background, "Louis!?" It's Peaches; she must be looking for me.

"I should probably get out of here." Diego whispers, slowly backing away. He turns and bolts off through the bushes just before Peaches comes into the open on the opposite side. Her face is full of worry, but it melts away when she sees me.

"Oh, thank goodness! Louis, where on Earth did you go!?" I'm so happy to see her that I completely ignore her question, run as fast as my little legs will carry me to her, and hug her trunk tightly. She looks at me, puzzled.

"Louis, uh, where did you go?" I could tell her the real reason, but I literally just promised Diego I'd keep his secret.

"I was... uh, I just... just went for a walk." I try to say convincingly, but she doesn't look very convinced. I notice that she's not making direct eye-contact with me; instead, she seems to be studying my face which is probably soaked with tears.

She opens her mouth to speak but closes it again before any words can escape. I continue to hold to her trunk, refusing to leave her so soon. She slowly sinks to her knees and hug me back. I wonder what is going on in her head; _what does she think I was out here for?_ I hope she doesn't want an answer. I know I can't lie to her again if she asks, even facing the wrath of Diego.

Peaches never ends up asking and instead lifts me with her trunk and cradles me. "Let's head back to the tree." She says. I smile shyly up at her in approval, and she smiles back.

* * *

**This chapter's song is "Vulnerable" by Secondhand Serenade.**


	4. Chapter 4

When we're just out of sight of the herd, Peaches puts me down and helps me, partially, clear my face. I can only hope I don't look as bad as I'm imagining. We walk to them; I try to walk as slow as possible to gain a few more moments alone with Peaches.

I've no idea how Peaches' father will react to us emerging from the forest early in the morning, but I also can't think of a single thing we could have been doing that Manny could find wrong. Unless he has some sort of intense hatred for crying or hugging, I don't think he'll have much to be angry about. I realize I was doing both the crying and the hugging, so he really doesn't have a reason to be angry with Peaches.

But enough about Manny! I look over at Peaches; she's smiling her beautiful smile, walking without a care in the world. I feel my heart beat start to hasten, and my palms feel moist. _Should I tell her now?_ Diego seems to think it's a good idea; then again, he did just try to eat me. I decide that now probably isn't the best time. I don't want to risk spoiling her good mood, and we're too close to the herd for it not to be immediately discovered by everyone else.

We approach the herd. Manny, of course, jumps upon us with a tidal wave of questions.

"Where were you? Why did you leave? What were you thinking?" And so on he rambles. I almost hope he doesn't actually want an answer to these questions; I think his colorful imagination can come up with ten times the stories we could. Still he continues questioning us, not even taking a breathe between one so we can attempt to answer. He starts to repeat questions now, asking them a little louder and angrier than before. To tell you the truth, I find all of this a bit overwhelming and fear inducing. The rest of the herd seems to agree with me; I see them slowly sneaking back, attempting to escape Manny's rage. Then, he glares down at me.

"Peaches?!" He practically screams, "What were you doing with wiener!?" Uh... okay... I'm not sure what he thinks we could have been doing. I feel my face turn red, and I take a step back. Suddenly, Peaches turns bold; she moves forward, putting her foot in front of me protectively.

"Don't call him that!" She shrieks, tears forming under her eyes. "We all know he hates it when you guys call him that, so stop it!" Sobbing, she lifts me to her head and storms off. I hear Manny being confronted by the rest of the herd. _Why was he so angry? _I'm so confused; so much just happened so fast. Peaches is still running, tears streaking down her face. I can't stand to see her so upset.

"Peaches!" I shout, trying to get her attention. Peaches continues running; I can hear her panting though.

"Peaches, please! Slow down! You're scaring me!" At that last one she stops. I swear I can hear her heart racing, and she sways around, huffing with anger and exhaustion.

I slide down Peaches' trunk and, trying to keep myself from crying too, I say, "It's okay, Peaches. Calm down; let's go find something to eat to keep your mind off this." She nods slowly, failing to repair the dam of tears that has burst behind her eyes. I move to her and put my arm around he trunk, lovingly leading her in the direction of the little melon patch near the teens' hangout or whatever we're supposed to call it.

We're sitting on a fallen tree, eating a melon that I had just broken in half with a rock. I can hear Peaches sniffling; it breaks my heart to see her so sad. _What can I do to make her happy, make her smile? _I look around; there's a patch of big, orange flowers a few feet away. I slide down, walk over, and pluck one of the colorful flowers from the patch. Peaches is looking down at her melon solemnly, transfixed by it; I stick the flower in her hair behind her ear. It sits, gleaming in the sunlight. She tilts her head up, slowly revealing her puffy eyes and her tear mucked face, but I've never thought she was more beautiful than she is right now. I feel a smile grow across my face.

"Peaches... your're more beautiful than any flower I've ever seen." I practically whisper. She grins a little, and I don't want to stop. I continue, "You're lovely. You're kind. Thank you so much for standing up for me... I'm... I'm so sorry your dad is angry with you. I wish I could make it better; you didn't do anything wrong..." I find myself scratching the back of my head bashfully. I want so bad to tell her how I feel. _Should I tell her?_ The only thing I want more than that is for her to be happy. I truly wish I could make it all better.

"You're so sweet, Louis. Thanks for trying to make me feel better." She puts down her melon and looks at me with her luminous eyes. She's smiling softly, but her face still seems a little sad.

"Peaches?" I say, willing myself to tell her. I scratch the side of my arm shyly and try to keep my eyes looking into hers.

"Yes?" She responds, keeping eye contact too. Louis, you have to tell her, right now! Do it!

"Peaches, I... I..." I realize I haven't been breathing this whole time and take a big gulp of air in before starting again. "Want you to know- I..."

Suddenly a voice interrupts, "Peaches!?" _Are you kidding me? _Manny comes charging up through the forest. He grabs Peaches and hugs her, telling her how sorry he is for not trusting her and such. I'm happy that he's not mad at her, but, yet again, I still haven't told her. Peaches breaks free from her dad for a few seconds and tries to figure out what I was saying, but Manny is right there. I can't tell her now, so I replace it with another "you're so pretty" and hope she buys it again. Though I don't think she actually does buy it, she doesn't question it when she remembers that her father is right next to her.

"You guys go have a good time; I love you Peaches!" Manny says while shooting me an 'I know what you're up to; don't even think about it' glance.

"I love you too." Peaches says, embarrassed about having to say it in front of me. I find it funny. In fact, I wouldn't mind in the least if she said it a lot more around me, or to me for that matter... I feel a little selfish now, but I guess I really just wanted to rebel against Manny, at least in my head. Peaches looks at me and says, "Let's go see Ethan."

The way she said "Ethan" makes me cringe internally. I smile and nod mechanically, hoping I don't show any doubt. I really hope she's just trying to get her mind off of all of this, but I don't feel like I should care so much as long as Peaches is happy. Every time I look at her, though, I can't help but wish it was my heart she was trying to win. She certainly wouldn't have to try too hard.

...

The Sun is starting to go down when most of the teens have left for home. Even Steffie's and Ethan's friends have gone, So it's just Ethan, Steffie, Peaches and me. Peaches sporadically tries to get Ethan's attention away from Steffie; I worry that she's attempting to ask him out.

"Ethan. Ethan, I was wondering..." She's definitely asking him out. I feel my nerves clench as she continues, "I was wondering if you'd like to... go out someti..."

Steffie jumps out in front of Ethan so fast I'm sure she gives all three of us a heart attack. She interrupts, "Let me stop you right there, possum girl. Ethan is mine! And if you think he wants to be with some freak possum-mutt, you got another thing coming." I'm knocked off my feet by her abruptness. Also, _since when are she and Ethan dating?_ She doesn't even give me time to think before continuing, "Why don't you just go hang in your tree with your little orphan friend there! Come on, Ethan, we're getting out of here!" Ethan looks shocked as Steffie storms off, but he finally says, "Okay! I'll meet up with you!" He pauses, "Peaches, I'm sorry about... that. I would go out with you, but... we're just too... too different. You're just a bit too possumy; it would be weird. I'm sorry, Peaches. Good bye." He rushes off to catch up with Steffie.

* * *

**This chapter's song is "I Wish" by One Direction.**


	5. Chapter 5

Logically, I'd have expected myself to be happy since Ethan turned Peaches down, but I don't. I feel awful, worse than awful. I'm angry with Steffie; I'm angry with Ethan, but most of all, I hate myself for not telling them to drop dead if they thought Peaches was anything other than perfect. Peaches is silent. I can tell she's heart-broken, but her eyes seem to convey that she's got some sort of idea, a plan, or something.

Finally, she looks down at the ground and says quietly, "What if I stopped hanging from trees?" She states it so matter-of-fact that I cringe. "And What if I don't act like a possum anymore? Then won't Ethan like me?" She looks at me expectingly, hoping for encouragement, approval.

I step back, shaking my buzzing head in disbelief. She's going to give up herself to win over a guy that doesn't even like her. I can't handle this right now; I need to be alone for a few minutes. My face is hot, and I can feel tears trying to escape my eyes. I don't want to weep helplessly in front of Peaches right now, not if she's busy being Steffie.

I just turn. I run off into the dark forest as fast as I can hoping Peaches doesn't follow. I want to walk alone for a bit, clear my mind. It doesn't appear that she's following me, so I slow down to a walk.

The night is so clear, illuminated by the moon. I smell the fresh misty air. It must be raining nearby. Several crickets chirp to each other. Their sound is so melodic and harmonious. The trees cast long, eary shadows on the ground. The small pebbles and rocks that litter the ground stick out in the dim light. I pick one up, staring at it real hard. It's darkish gray and round, almost spherical. It's so small. It's minuscule. I look around; no one. I suddenly feel small, standing there all alone. I suddenly wish I hadn't left Peaches.

I run back as fast as I can. I'm probably about half way when I see Peaches staring into the water of the falls. She's scrutinizing her reflection, frowning. As I get closer, I see that she's sobbing. Tears are falling into the water and messing up her reflection. When she sees this, she uses her trunk to slosh around the water more. She smiles when her reflection is no longer distinguishable, and my heart sinks. _Why does she want to change herself?_ She's so much more than her reflection, but she doesn't notice. She's too concerned with what Ethan sees. By now I'm about three feet away from her. I can't let her hate herself just because Ethan might like her more if she changes. _Why can't anyone see that Peaches is the most beautiful when she's herself? Why does everyone think she should change?_

"Peaches," I say. She gasps, spinning around in surprise. "Please... don't." I can't find the words to tell her how perfect she is already, how she doesn't have to change.

"What, Louis?" She says, tempered. Her anger hits me like a rock.

"Listen... don't... don't give up yourself to get Ethan." I say slowly, whispering so quietly I can barely hear myself. She just stares at me. I can almost feel her frustration building.

"But he'll never like me if I don't." She says. Her voice rises with each word.

"But he won't be liking you." I counter, my voice just as loud as hers.

"I just want to feel like someones likes me!"

"Then why are you changing yourself!?" We're both yelling now. I never wanted to yell at her. I just wanted to show her that Ethan isn't worth it.

"Well, why do you care if I change!? Don't you want me to be with Ethan; don't you want me to be happy!?" I want to say that I don't think she'll be very happy if she has to be someone else, but I'm too upset and not thinking.

"Of course I want you to be happy! But I can barley handle one Steffie, and I don't think I can handle two!"

She looks into my eyes and, infuriated, says, "Louis, you don't get it- I have to change! No one is ever going to love a half-possum, half-mammoth freak!"

"I do!" I shout, my voice squeaking from being at such a high volume. Oh no! Louis! _What did you just do!? _Those other times may not have been perfect to tell her, but this is definitely worse! I cover my red face and turn away, embarrassed. Darn it! _Why did you tell her!?_ There's no way she'll react well to this!

I sit down, still covering my face. My legs and arms are trembling. _What is Peaches going to say?_ _What's she going to do?_ I wish I could be anywhere but here!

To my surprise, Peaches puts her trunk on my shoulder sympathetically. I look up at her. Her faces is bewildered, but it doesn't look angry. She just looks curious almost. She says quietly, "How long?"

"How long what?" I ask back, confused.

"How long have you, you know... liked me?" _Was there ever a time I didn't like her?_ I try to think back to the first time we met. We were quite young. My parent's were still... I take a long breath in. My heart starts beating really fast and my side aches. I clench at it, but it's a well too deep with unheard echoes. I start breathing harder, and tears rundown my face. _What's happening to me?_ I feel like I can't breathe! Peaches must see my alarm because she starts slowly stoking my head softly with her trunk, trying to calm me down. It kind of helps. I can breathe again, but it's choppy between sniffling. She looks down at me. Her face is soft but distressed. She smiles a little as my heart rate returns to normal. She so beautiful; I want to hug her and hold her and tell her how much I love her. I don't even care that there's no physical way for me to hold her. But, I can kind of remember when I started liking her now.

"I'm not exactly sure when I really started liking you, but remember that time you saved me when I was in that deep water?" She nods. "That's when I new for sure that I did." It just now registers in my mind how long it's been; we were just little kids when she pulled me from that pond.

It must be really late; the moon is nearly half way through the sky. Today has certainly been a day of extremes... It's hard to believe that whole Diego incident just happened this morning. It feels like it's been weeks, months even. Wow, I actually followed Diego's advice. Anyway, it must be really late, and I doubt that Peaches' parents are going to be very happy when she gets back.

"We should probably..." I yawn, rubbing my eyes. I suddenly feel so tired. "We should probably get you back home." My brain still hasn't really processed that I told Peaches, but it does occur to me that I've no idea where I'm going to sleep tonight. Though, I'm not sure there's very much of tonight left in the first place. It doesn't appear that it's completely registered to Peaches yet, either. I don't know.. I guess we both need a while to process what I've just revealed. It occurs to me that I literally had no plan what so ever for what to do once I'd told her.

"Louis?" Peaches pulls me out of my thoughts. "I'd be fine with acting like this never happened if you want. That way, you can tell me when you want to." I can't believe it. I'm not sure I even comprehend what she means. _Does she not want me to tell her again, or is she giving me a second chance to tell her right?_ I hope I know Peaches well enough to assume that she's genuinely letting me have another try. I guess now that she knows, it would give us both time to think this through. I nod my head, reluctantly accepting her offer.

"So..." She says, "Wanna race home?" I almost laugh. Same old Peaches, as forgiving and care-free as ever.

"Why not?" I say, completely ignoring the fact that I'm dead tired. I stand up quick and take off sprinting as fast as my legs will carry me. It only takes a few moments for Peaches to swing over me. I've probably run about twenty feet when my body remembers that it has about the same amount of energy as I have muscles to keep it moving... I kind of just stop, breathe really hard, and fall down in a bit of a daze. I lay on the cool ground panting, finding it funny at how little I care about how I feel right now. Peaches walks up smiling and shaking her head.

"I guess this means I win..." She says, and I half expect her to propose a rematch.

"Again? But I was just getting warmed up." I say sarcastically while, and I'll never admit this, literally gasping for air. We both laugh, which doesn't do too much to help my whole oxygen issue. She looks down over me with a smile across her face. her eyes are sparkling. I feel a big grin grow on me, and I can't help but keep laughing. Though I don't know if that's why she's smiling. I feel a few tears escape my eyes, but they're not sad. They're happy, relived, hopeful.

Peaches lifts me up and holds me in her trunk. It's warm and calm as she walks back.

* * *

**This chapter's song is "My Paper Heart" by The All-American Rejects.**


	6. Chapter 6

If you were guessing that our plan was, in an attempt to cause as little trouble as possible, to sneak all the way around the vicinity of the tree before slowly creeping up in order to evade detection and get Peaches in said tree without waking anyone up, then congratulations! You just won the 'guess exactly what our plan was' game!

For the most part, I've very little knowledge of how we're going to... I don't know... pull it off! Peaches, seeing that I have enough energy, sends me off to do a little reconnaissance.

Near the tree, I see that Sid has started a small, but amazingly dazzling, fire. It's so well built that I question why the group consensus appears to put Sid at the bottom of the most functioning brain cells ladder. The rest of the herd, apart from Granny who is snoring audibly, is awake, telling stories of great adventures from before Peaches or I were even born and laughing hysterically at the good times they've had. I almost want to suggest to Peaches that we call off the whole plan and join them, but my sudden realization of the fact that I'm swaying back and forth in a half-asleep daze reminds me in just how tired I am. Plus, I'm really looking forward to telling Peaches good-night.

I run the idea of staying up with the herd by Peaches. She seems to come to the same conclusion as me, and I can tell she's tired too when she almost trips over nothing three times on our way around the camp. We manage to reach the tree without anyone noticing. Peaches climbs it tiredly and yawns for a long enough time that I'm almost sure someone heard us. We both fall silent. Her big eyes stare at me from her upside down face; I find myself smiling, my eyes staring back. A cold breeze blows by. Shivers run through me, and I realize that I should probably get to sleep too. Then I remember. _Where am I sleeping tonight?_ I'm not sure I should try to climb up to Peaches... I'm pretty sure that, even though she said she'd act like I never said it, she probably doesn't want us to be that close together so soon. I guess I can always head over to my burrow for the night. I tell her good-night and that I'll see her tomorrow, and I start to walk away.

"Louis!?" She whispers as loud as possible, trying to get my attention. I pivot to look at her again. "Where are you going?" I'd like to say that I'm running to leap into your arms... but, sadly, I am not...

"To my... my... burrow?" I say confused. _Is this a trick question?_ "Where else would I be..."

'Get over here." She interrupts. All I can think is: yay! I smile widely, beaming with excitement and relief. She roles her eyes at me as I race back to her. I know she must find my childish excitement out of character, but I feel like it's every holiday wrapped up into one.

I rush over and climb onto her trunk which she has resting on the ground waiting for me. She hoists me up and puts me in about the same place as I woke up in. I sprawl out, stretching and yawning- she yawns too- then curl up into a partial ball.

"Good night." I say cheerfully.

"Louis?" Her voice is distressed. I worry I'm poking her.

"Yes?" I ask, preparing to move so she's more comfortable.

"I'm... sorry I told Ethan that you weren't my friend..." Oh... Well... I had completely forgotten about that... So we are friends! Now it's my job to tell her how I really feel.

"It's... it's okay, Peaches. I forgave you a long time ago." I say reassuringly, not wanting her to fall asleep sad.

"I know. I just felt like you needed to hear me... say it." She's right; I feel a lot better now that I know for sure.

"Thank you. Good night." I curl up more out of instinct, wanting to keep as much warmth in as possible. I yawn silently; Peaches giggles at this, and I realize just how adorably small and defenseless I must seem to her. She tilts her head up and kisses me softly on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams. Good night, Louis." She whispers. I grin, exhausted and excited at the same time. I don't say anything. She doesn't say anything. We just sit in silence, our hearts beating in unison, in tacit agreement that there'e nowhere else we'd rather be.

...

A little while later, I'm woken up by something rustling in the bushes. The rest of Peaches' herd have all gone to sleep, so it appears that I'm the only one awake. I peer into the murky blackness of the forest; I'm frightened to see a pair of glowing eyes staring back at me.

The eyes hover above the silhouetted bushes, blinking every few seconds. They eerily move a few inches closer. The shadow of a feline, probably a saber-tooth, becomes visible. This must be one of the tigers Diego was talking about. Suddenly, a stick breaks under his foot. It makes a loud snap, and the tiger lets out a disconcerting chuckle before disappearing out of sight.

I feel shivers run down my spine, and a torrential shaking overcomes my body. Worried that I might impale Peaches, I roll over. She's so warm; I curl up into a ball and just absorb her heat for a while. _Why do I suddenly feel so cold? _My shaking subsides, and I can't believe I haven't woken Peaches.

Peaches... _What now?_ I love you, I told you I do, but now how am I going to work up the nerve to do it again. It's probably better that you've given me a second chance; I never wanted to tell you out of spite just to win an argument. That's that last thing I wanted, and I'm so sorry I did that... _Darn it, Louis; can't you do anything right? How are you going to tell her now? _You couldn't even think of a way to do it when it wasn't a pressing matter, no matter how much you acted like it was.

_Why can't you tell her?_ I don't know... I just... I don't want us to ever be anything less than friends. I don't ever want to have to go a day without her.

I almost laugh at myself. She already knows... She's just curious of how I really would have told her. My point being, I have no idea how this will affect us, but I don't want it to be negatively. I don't care if she likes me back as much as I just want to be around her. However, I would be very happy to know if she likes me.

I feel lonely, even knowing that I'm right in Peaches' arm. Everyone's asleep. It's dark and cold, and I guess I'm lonely. I would love to have Peaches awake to talk to, but I can't wake her up. She's so calm and peaceful; her heartbeat's so rhythmic and I don't want to change it. I'm used to being introverted, yet I want to talk so bad right now. Trying to settle with talking to myself, my mind mills over tangents and stuff... I yawn, again. I know that I should probably be trying to get as much sleep as possible, but my brain doesn't agree with me. My arms and legs and neck and body feel warm and drowsy; every part of me seems to be asleep except my head, which is inexplicably unaware of how tired the rest of me is. I close me eyes, but I'm greeted by the same blackness that I see when I open them. Louis, you'd better get some sleep considering that this is the first time in a long time that you have the opportunity.

* * *

**This chapter's song is "Let Love In" by The Goo Goo Dolls**


	7. Chapter 7

I'm tunneling away from the camp early the next morning. Peaches and I woke up at dawn, she let me down, and I said goodbye. Now I'm heading to the berry bushes. My stomach has been rumbling since I woke up; I haven't eaten since yesterday morning.

As I'm digging, I start to wonder where the uprooted ground that my tunnels leave behind goes. They probably collapse back in on themselves or get walked on, but I feel more intrigued by where all the energy it took to dig those holes goes. How the energy travels around. _Does it just disappear, or does it continue to shape the world? Does it go away, or does it forever change everything that will ever happen?_

My, what I would hope to call a, train of thought is stopped by a heavy pressure on my back. There must be something on top of my tunnel. I dig fast, pulling myself out from under whatever it is. I slowly wriggle out and the pressure stops. As I dig away, I hear a faint cry from behind me. _What could that be? Did I knock something over or hurt someone back there?_

I dig out. Behind me, a very young tortoise is flipped onto her back and flailing wildly trying to turn herself up-right. She must have been what I dug out from under. I rush over and try to calm her down.

"It's okay. Calm down and I'll try to help you." I say, probably unconvincingly. It's not going to be easy to flip her over because though this tortoise is obviously much younger than I am, she's also slightly bigger then me, too. She stops flailing and starts to whimper helplessly. Figuring that, if I could flip her underground, I can also flip her above ground, I attempt to push her back onto her feet.

I manage to get her up after several moments of pushing and moving out of the way as she rolls back and almost over me. She looks at me sheepishly, still whimpering.

"What's your name?" I ask her. "Mine's Louis."

"A-a-amy." She answers between whispers.

"Okay, Amy. Do you know where your parents are?" She shakes her head, no. She stops whimpering just in time for her stomach to start growling. She looks around confused as if she doesn't know where the noise is coming from. I ask, redundantly attempting to confirm my hypothesis, "Are you hungry?"

"A little..." She says quietly; her small, she voice is probably the only one less audible than my own. Her stomach growls loudly; she's more hungry than just a little.

"Come on." I say, flicking my head in the direction of the nearby berry bushes. "Let's get some food in your stomach then go find your mommy and daddy." I chuckle a little at my childish tone. She looks at me, confused as to why I'm laughing, but then she smiles and nods her head rapidly.

At the berry bushes, her demeanor seems more melancholy. She's eating the berries ravenously and smiling, but there's something in her eyes that betray her sadness. She must be worried about something, probably her parents. I've already eaten enough, and Amy's still finishing. I want to see another happy smile from her. I get an idea and go over to a tree, pulling a vine down out of it. A single tare and a few flowers late, and I've fashioned a little necklace. I tie it around Amy's neck.

"It's beautiful." She says fervidly, her hazel eyes beaming. I pat her on her head.

"Okay, let's go find your parents." I say and she nods her head happily.

...

Most of the animals, excluding the teens, tend to congregate by the watering hole throughout the day. Aside from the small patch of berry bushes I found, this seems to be the only other are with berries for miles. There are slides and termite mounds and games, and Sid even takes kids on nature walks. Naturally, the watering hole is a hub, so of course it's the first place to look for Amy's parents.

Amy keeps close to me as we make our way through the throng. Almost every animal here is at least five times bigger than us, and we're not looking to be trampled. We jump out of the way of a monstrous brontotherium as he rushes past, almost crushing us.

When I see two tortoises worriedly wandering around as if they're looking for something that's extremely important, I'm certain we've found Amy's parents. I hold onto Amy and pull her through the crowd toward them.

"Amy!" They shout in unison while eagerly rushing to their daughter. Amy has the same brown, oval eyes of her parents. She looks like a miniature version of her mom; her father looks similar, too, but with a slightly broader face and nose.

"Thank you, young man! Thank you!" Amy's mother says in a bewildered, but joyous, voice. "How can we ever repay you?" I pause at this. I've never enjoyed being payed for anything; I happen to think that it's payment enough to see these three smiling, happy faces. I honestly can't think of anything to say to not make this awkward. Instead, I get on one knee and look into Amy's eyes.

"You stay with your parents now. They were scared half to death looking for you." I want to end on a less didactic note, so I say, "I'll see you later, Amy. Bye-bye." I pat Amy's head and look up at her parents. I nod and smile shyly before walking back through the crowd.

_Should I go see Peaches now? _It's still early, but it's not like that's stopped us from hanging out before. However, she was really tired last night. I think I should let her sleep. I emerge from the crowd and walk into the forest. The air is crisp and fresh and cool. The flowers and plants are all still covered in dew; I run my hand through the leaves of a fern, and it comes out soaked. I chuckle a little and shake off the water. I'm walking rather slowly, but I still manage to trip and fall flat on my face. I get up and brush myself off, looking to see what tripped me. It's the rest of the vine that I'd used to make Amy the necklace. "Hmm..." I say to myself, "I bet Peaches would like a necklace..."

* * *

**This chapter's song is "1, 2, 3, 4" by The Plain White Ts.**


	8. Chapter 8

I stashed the necklace in my burrow and now I'm sitting right outside it, trying to think of a way to tell Peaches. I can't just tell her, _can I?_ _Should I tell her when I give her the necklace? _I don't know if that's a good idea; I think it might just make me look shallow. I want to tell her, and I have a chance to do it right. I have to do it right. No one else knows... _Who am I kidding!? _I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now. I guess I could tell Peaches in front of them, but I don't know if I could get myself to. I don't know if Manny knows, yet he acts like he does. I wish I could just hug Peaches and tell her that I love her anywhere. I don't care if she likes me that way back. I just really want to tell her without the fear of it blowing up in my face.

Peaches is probably awake by now. If she is, she'll be here any minute. I lay back against the mound around my burrow and look at the clouds. They're small and puffy and white. There's very few clouds out this morning, but off in the horizon I can see more. These clouds are darker; it's probably going to rain sometime today. I've always loved the rain. It gets muddy and wet and cool. The ground gets kind of hard to dig through, but the smell of the rain is awesome. Plus, who doesn't love an excuse to be soaking wet and covered with mud.

Within my day-dream I realise that it's hot. It's really hot, but it's calm enough that I don't really care. I spread out, laying on my back and thinking about nothing in particular. I'm dozing off. I take a long breath in. The air is hot and heavy in my lungs.

To my surprise, I hear someone else exhale as I do so. I'm a bit startled at first, but I realize that it must be Peaches, harmlessly sitting beside me. I decide to wait and see what she does; I don't even bother to open my eyes. I feel so calm and I just keep breathing in and out, waiting for Peaches to do or say something. Nothing happens for at least thirty seconds. Confused, I open my eyes to see what Peaches is doing. Much to my horror, I don't see Peaches. I see a scrawny, crazy-eyed saber-tooth with matted, wild hair and gnarly teeth licking his chops and looking at me like I'm his morning snack. _Is this the same saber-tooth from last night? _Louis, there's no time for questions! Run!

I jump up and into my tunnel, but I only get a little way in before I feel a paw grab onto my leg. I'm yanked from the ground backwards. My spines dig into the hard earth as the saber pulls me toward the mouth of the hole.

"Ow!" I shout in pain as he hoists me into the air, letting me dangle a few inches above the ground. He chuckles evilly as I moan; it feels like my entire back side is on fire. My stomach churns and I just about puke. The saber drops me on my head in disgust, and I fall onto my back. My puny, little body is numb and aching. When the saber sees that I'm not going to puke, he puts his paw down, much too hard, across my stomach and chest. He's pushing so hard that I gasp for air, feeling the contents of my stomach trying to escape through the closed off air-way. I throw my arms up and attempt to scratch the paw, but that only makes him push even harder. I scratch harder, and he laughs maliciously before removing his paw. Then I puke. I don't even bother to get up or anything. I puke, and everything that was in my stomach is either pooling in the dirt or soaking into my fur. I try to stand and brush off what I can, but that saber simply knocks me back down with a hard jab to the face. I fall down again, on my belly. My eye hurts; my legs and my stomach and my head and my back are throbbing. _Why is he toying with me? _He answers, but I wish he'd have just eaten me instead.

He says, "I wouldn't worry about myself if I were you. You're not what we want." As if on cue, two other saber-toothes emerge behind him- both male, one with a scheming face and the other with a broad, bulky build. _Did they plan this? Like, literally wit down and plan that line? _Sadistic much...

"So, here's the deal," He says, giddy to have his plan going so well. "We're really hungry," He laugh hysterically before continuing, "and you're going to help us get some food."

"Wha- what do you need me for?" I ask sheepishly, terrified by what he might say. I lean up on one arm, and he pushes me back down angrily.

"Did I say you could get up?" He says controlling. "No, I didn't so stay down shrimp!"

One of the saber's companions whines. He quickly chastises the outburst, "Hey! Can't you see I'm trying to explain something to our little friend here?"

The big one pipes up, "But Zeke, we're starving here. Can't we just eat this kid?" His voice is rough but whiny. I'd be concerned, but he is obviously not the one whose calling shots.

"No!" The saber who's apparently named Zeke says, annoyed. "We need him to do a little job for us."

He looks down at me. I know I have at least one black eye, and I can feel snot, or maybe it's blood, trickling from my nose. My fur must be covered in dried dirt and bile. The larger saber continues to whine, "But I'm hungry..."

Zeke begins to go off on his companion, screaming at him for ruining their plan. I realize that none of them are looking at me. I can escape! I slowly crawl to my burrow's entrance and begin to start to slide in. I make too much noise and they notice me. I try to pull myself into the burrow, but I'm not fast enough. I feel a fire rush from my leg into the rest of me body as the saber's sharp teeth entrap it. He's got his whole head in the hole, and he angrily up-tills the entire thing while freeing himself from it.

"You stupid little worm. You actually thought you could get away?" He says. I don't really hear most of it. My leg is burning; I can feel each individual hole where his teeth punctured me. He grabs my head and turns it so I'm looking at him. I listen for the sake of not being eaten.

"Okay, runt. You know that mammoth girl you hang around with?" I nod my head, hoping he's not going where I think he's going. "She seems to like you. So, you're going to get her alone and far away from that little camp, and then we'll..."

"No." I state plainly, refusing and unwilling to hear the rest of his sentence.

"No?" He questions.

"No, I won't help you hurt her." I repeat firmly.

He looks at me, his eyes a-flame, and shouts, "You've got to be kidding me! I let you live, and you refuse to help me!?"

"Yes," I say, "you'll have to eat me, because I am not going to help you hurt anybody." He glares at me, but his ears perk up. I can hear it too, something swinging through the trees. It's getting closer.

"Whatever." Zeke says. "This isn't worth my time. Let's go." His companions turn and run, but he stays behind. "Listen, kid. Either she's out alone by next week, or we come and kill you and her and all your little friends." He flees just before Peaches swings in.

At first she's exited to see me, but it only takes her a second to see how hurt I am. I can't stand. I try to talk to her, but my voice is so quiet that I can't even hear it.

* * *

**This chapter's song is "Brave" by Sara Bareilles.**


	9. Chapter 9

Peaches is running back to the tree, hugging me close against her with her trunk. My blood and snot and tears are soaking into her fur. I try to turn my head so less of it gets on her, but she pulls me closer.

I hear, over the din of her running, Peaches say, "It's okay, Louis. Don't worry about that."

It only takes us a few minutes to get to the herd, but I feel like I've hit my head on every solid object along the way. I'm dizzy from an empty stomach, loss of blood, and a possible concussion.

Peaches makes it to her parents and hurriedly shouts, "Mom, dad, Louis is hurt!"

The whole herd rushes over to see what's happened. Ellie strips a tree branch of its leaves with one sweep of her trunk and lays them on the ground, making a soft place to lay me down. Peaches slowly lowers me onto the leaf-bed and asks if anything hurts. I lie and say no, but she seems to get that I'm lying. She makes a small pillow out of more leaves and places it under my head.

"What happened to him?" Diego asks, concerned about me, but obviously more concerned that he already know the answer.

"I don't know." Peaches says, "I found him like this, but we need to focus on helping Louis right now before anything else." I don't know if it's just that she wants to help me or if it's her help people before anything else attitude, but I love her right now above everything else. I've always loved her above it all, she's the only one I've got to love. And if I wasn't so shy that I freeze up around every other person in the world, I'd be telling her right now.

"Someone get something to tie around his leg to stop the bleeding." She says. Crash and Eddie run off quickly to find what she asked for, and I feel kind of disappointed in myself for disliking them so much.

I look around; my vision is blurry. If there's anything in my stomach, it probably won't be there for long. Peaches is saying something to me, but all I hear is a mumble. My eyes are so heavy; I close them. The last thing I remember is Peaches' sweet, soft voice saying my name, "Louis?"

...

I'm jolted awake by the feeling of something cold on my forehead. I lean up quickly, which makes my head hurt, and I see Peaches holding a tree branch over me. It's pouring rain. The ground around me is saturated. There's a vine tied around my leg; it's tied just right. I must have taken Peaches a while to get that right. Peaches looks miserably soaked. I can't really feel most of my body, and the parts that I can feel ache, but I don't want to make Peaches stand in the rain.

"Peaches, you don't have to do that. I can..." I try to stand but immediately fall in pain when I put pressure on my bitten leg. "Ow... H-here. Help me get over there under the tree."

"Okay." Peaches helps me support my leg, but after I fall again, she lifts me up and runs to the tree. As she sets me up against the tree, the rest of the herd flock into the cover from their prior spots. Granny angrily yells at the clouds to stop raining, then hits Sid with her cane when nothing happens. I chuckle.

"What are you laughing at, lover boy?" She asks, incoherently bringing up my no-longer-a-secret that every-still-acts-like-it's-a-secret. I play dumb and ignore her as best as I can, but I still blush. No one else mentions it. Their probably just as confused about this whole thing as I am. Diego is sitting by Shira, looking a little more paranoid than usuall. It may just be the fact that it's raining, and he's a cat. Or he's thinking about the thing that I know someone is about to ask.

"So, Louis, what happened to you?" Peaches asks. Peaches- if anyone else had asked me, I probably would have lied. I don't know why. It's probably important information that there's saber-toothed tigers on this island, but I just don't feel like talking.

"S-s-sabers..." I say. They all gasp. Shira looks away, embarrassed. Diego puts his paw on her shoulder. He does love her, even after she... never mind.

The whole herd is flustered. They're all looking around wearily, as if we've suddenly been surrounded. It's quite possible we're being watched, but there's no way three sabers would try to take on all of us at once.

The rain is still pouring down. Gosh it's raining hard. I'm sad that this isn't the best time to enjoy it. I notice Peaches, looking at me. Her hair is wet and matted, but her eyes are still sparkling. I can't tell what she's thinking, but her eyes. Those big emerald eyes. They're lovely. _Should I just tell her now? _I know I want to, and I know I should. But... I don't know... I just can't. _Why!?_

Diego takes us all out of our thoughts, "We need to find somewhere less open to stay."

"There's a cave a little while that way." Says Shira, gesturing toward it with her paw.

Granny blurts out, "I ain't going out in this weather!" We all ignore her, which probably won't do anything more than make her complain more.

"Come on." Manny takes the lead, "We'd better get moving. We don't know when it's going to get dark."

"We'll be fine!" Crash yells over the rain. Eddie continues, "Yeah. Who cares if it gets dark?"

"Well, unlike you," Diego says, agitated by about ten different things, "most of us can't see in the dark. So it'll be kind of a problem for us. Now let's go."

The journey doesn't take very long. Peaches is carrying me, and I'm trying to act like I'm not enjoying it as much as I actually am. I find it really hard to keep from hugging her all of the sudden.

I feel sick; my stomach aches like crazy. I'm miserable, but I don't care. I'm with the only girl, the only herd, that'd be willing to help me when I'm down.

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**This chapter's song is "Wonderwall" by Oasis. So, Summer Break gets over soon where I live. I'll try to update this during the School Year, but I probably won't be able to do it nearly as often.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, thanks for waiting so long for this chapter. I've had so much homework over the past few weeks of school, but I finally found the time to write.**

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"Louis." Someone whispers. "Louis, wake up." I'm awake, but I can assure you that I'd rather be sleeping. I'm curled up next to Peaches in the cave. It's dark and cold; the rain is still falling outside. My leg and back and everything still ache. I'm pretty sure that was Diego. _What could he possibly want?_

"What?" I ask, annoyed about having to be awake right now. I don't really care, though. It's not like I've slept for the last few nights. _What's another one going to do?_

"What happened today?" He asks.

"I already told you, I got attacked by some..."

He interrupts, "I know that, but how many? Was there just a few?"

"At least three. There didn't seem to be any more, and one of them said they were really hungry." I answer, hoping I don't wake anyone.

"Okay. It doesn't sound like they'll be able to get to us if we're all together." He says, strategizing. "You guys better not go out on your own anymore, though."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." I state drowsily. "I probably won't be going anywhere for a while." That doesn't make me feel very happy, but I do get an excuse to be with Peaches for an indefinite amount of time. So, yay!

"So..." Diego says. His voice echoes through the cave, but no one else seems to hear it.

"I- uh- I told her." I say it, and the noise dissipates into thin air.

"What?" Diego asks, unable to hear my faint voice over the rain.

"I. Told. Peaches." I feel as though a weight has lifted of me. Good job, Louis. Apparently you can say a full sentence... even if it's only three words long. I'm not sure if Diego is shocked or if he's just fallen asleep, but he doesn't say anything. I don't wanna sleep right now! I want to talk about this! Come on, Diego, talk.

"Diego, are you awake?" I ask. For a few second, all I hear is the rain, then Diego pipes up, "Oh, uh, yeah... I'm awake. That's great. How did she react?" Darn it. I forgot about that whole us fighting thing. _What should I tell Diego? Is anyone else awake? _Guess now's as good a time as any to find out.

"It's uh... it's complicated." I say, trying to think of a way to say that we had a fight without really having a fight and hoping that he just changes the subject. I close my eyes and listen to the drip-drap of the rain. The storm must be dying down.

I feel Peaches' stomach distend and recede. The marching, that's not a good adjective for it, the stampeding drops of rain fall on the roof of the cave. The whole cave is wet; water droplets drip from the stalactites. One falls on my nose. I shake off the water and sneeze.

"Ah... ah... choo!" The noise shrieks through the cave like thunder. I cringe, hoping, again, that I haven't woken anybody up. The uneven pitter-patter of the rain's reign over my ears resumes. A sudden whoosh of cold air blows into the cave. I curl up closer to Peaches, who reaches her trunk back and pulls me close. She holds me tight while stretching out her legs before curling back up, still shrouding me from the cold. I can't tell if she's awake.

I nuzzle her trunk and purr, "I love you so much."

She doesn't react, at least not physically. I don't know what she's thinking. I hope she didn't hear me. _Who am I kidding? _I hope she heard me. I hope they all heard me. I hope that everyone is awake right now and that they all understand. _Did she hear me? Does it matter? Does any of this even matter if we're not going to be here someday to remember it? _Of course it does! I'm here right now, _aren't I? _It matters to me, right now.

Wait a second. Oh, gosh darn it! The necklace. Peaches' necklace is at my burrow, probably wet and tattered for all I know.

"Well aren't you love-drunk," Diego says, "and just so we're clear, it doesn't count if she's asleep."

"I know." I reply. "But, but Diego?"

"What?"

"I forgot something really important at my burrow." I say.

"Well," Diego says coldly, "I hope you can live without it for a while. What is it?"

"It's a- a necklace. I made it for Peaches; can we please go get it?" I plead.

He sighs, then says, "Louis... I can't just go running off into the forest in the middle of the night." I understand what he means; I can't ask him to go off alone, or even with some hobbled kid for that matter, in the pitch dark to get a probably ruined present for a girl, even if I love her. If anything were to happen to him... Shira would be alone... With no one to help her with he future pups... I can't do that to them, and I won't.

"It's okay Diego," I try to say empathetically, but it probably just sounds like disappointment, "it doesn't really matter that much."

Everything gets quiet for a second, even the rain stops. But then it starts again, and I hear Diego take a deep breathe. He yawns a feline yawn with a long whine at the end which makes me yawn back in return.

"Oh, Louis," He says slowly, pondering, "I know it really does mean a lot to you. Tell you what, in the morning I'll get Manny to let me take Peaches and you out to your burrow, but just for a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah, uh... okay. Thanks, Diego." I answer ecstatically.

I hope he heard me, because by the time I've finished saying his name, I can already hear him snoring. And so I'm the only one awake... again...

I. Am. The. Only. One. Awake. I am the only one awake. Awake... awake, awake, awake. _How did that ever get to be a word? Away + Cake = Awake? _Okay, Louis, you know you're tired when you start to question whether or not words are really words...

I close my eyes tight, which doesn't really help because it's not much darker in my head than it is in the cave. I try to will myself to sleep. I try to not think about it. I try only thinking about it. Eventually I just give up on my attempts to fall asleep, at which point I, of course, actually fall asleep.

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but my best estimation would probably be about eight and a half seconds. Peaches nudges me a little. I shoot up, my heart pounding and my leg stinging. She probably didn't mean to jolt me as much as she did. I'm just so small compared to her. Anyway, I'm awake now. My heart is pumping, I can feel my chest pulsating. Peaches is almost more distressed by my state than I am.

"Oh. Are you okay, Louis?" She whispers. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Yeah. Uh... no, uh... It's uh- it's fine. Just startled me a bit is all." I say. Thunder claps outside; I jump again. Peaches curls her trunk around me; I hug her, my heart beating against her. Another thunder clap, I can feel my heart racing.

We lie together mutely. I'm tired but awake, scared but exhilarated. I lean back and just lay. I'm not thinking about anything in particular, just focusing on breathing. Sucking in and blowing out, my chest rising and falling. The dank smell, the moist feel of the cave. Peaches' soft fur, the numb pain in my leg. The eliminating lightning and the frightening thunder. The crisp, cool air; the blackness of the cave walls.

...

The next morning I'm sitting against a stalactite while Diego tries to convince Manny to let us go to my burrow.

"Come on, Manny. We'll be there and back in no time." Diego says. Manny looks apprehensively past him and at Peaches. Then he asks, "You'll be with them the whole time?"

"Of course," Diego assures, "I won't leave their side for an instant."

"Don't worry so much, Manny." Shira, having apparently woken up, ambles to the mouth of the cave. "We'll be fine."

Diego jumps in before Manny can speak, "Excuse me, what do you mean 'we?'"

"I'm coming with you." She says.

Manny, noticing Diego's look, ushers for Peaches to talk in private. They walk back to where the rest of the herd is sleeping. _Am I the only one besides Diego who knows that Shira's pregnant? Has he told Manny?_

"Shira..." Diego starts, but she interrupts.

"I'll be fine, Diego." She says cheerily, rubbing against him.

"But..."

"Shhh..." She pecks his cheeck softly, "You're not the only one who wants to meddle."

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**Well, that took a lot longer than expected... This chapter's song is "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.**


	11. Chapter 11

The four of us are slowly making our way to my burrow, me sitting on top of Peaches while Diego and Shira walk beside us. The rain has faded to a light fog that only reaches up a little above my head. It curls like smoke around us as we trudge through it. I look over at Diego; he's looking back at me through the fog. I swear I see him wink at me before kissing Shira on the cheek. Shira chuckles and looks up at me with a face that reads 'that's you cue.' I blush, partly because I'm always embarrassed around others but also because I'm surprised that they care enough to try to get me to tell her.

Shira tries to warm up Peaches for me by asking, "So, Peaches. How long have you two known each other?" I keep forgetting that Shira's only been here a few weeks. She still doesn't know a lot about us. Of course, the 'us' is merely wishful thinking. I don't know my status in the herd, let alone if I'm even really in it.

Peaches says innocently, "Oh... Ever since we were little."

"How did you meet?" Shira asks.

"Um..." Peaches says, trying to remember. "We had to be like five, or something. I was out exploring with Crash and Eddie, and we found this little hole in the ground. I couldn't see inside it. Crash told me that monsters lived in holes, so I was scared to look. But Eddie dared me to reach in, and I was not about to be shown up by my uncles. I stuck my trunk in ever so slowly; Crash yelled, 'Boo!' and I screamed, but I kept reaching in. I was curious. At first I felt something sharp and thought it was a monster, but it was small. So, I pulled it out. Then there was this little prickly ball in my trunk."

I feel kind of weird listening to Peaches tell the story of how she met me, but it's a good weird.

"Suddenly, the ball opened. And there he was, shivering from being brought out into the cold. He said, 'Hi, my name's Louis. What's yours?' with that cute, shy voice he has, and I told him, 'My name's Peaches.' right before his parents came rushing out of the burrow looking for him."

"And how about you, Louis?" Shira asks, feigning curiosity though I've already figured out that she's meddling. "What were you thinking when you met Peaches?"

"What? Uh... I was kinda cold." I look down at Shira pleadingly. I can't just tell her that she was the only thing I thought about for weeks after that.

"Yeah... I guess that makes sense," Shira says, "but what did you think of Peaches?"

"Oh..." I say, blushing. "I thought she was... pretty."

"Come on, Louis." Diego jumps in. He was the one who had found Peaches out exploring on that day that changed the rest of my life.

"What?" I ask.

"I saw the way you stared at her, with that look of wonder and emphatuation you still get every time you look at her." He smirks, and I hear Peaches chuckle. _What does that mean? _This is more disorienting than digging straight into a rock. _Why'd she chuckle? Is it a good thing? Does she think that's cute? Or just childish?_

***Thwak***

At that moment, a tree branch snaps back into position after Peaches had moved it to pass. It rakes across my face. I lose my balance and role backwards off Peaches' back. Falling's always been a terrible thing to me; I'm petrified of heights. I land, or rather collapse, on my sore spines. Needless to say, that wasn't a very enjoyable experience, but, at least this time, Peaches is right there.

"Louis! Oh gosh, are you okay!?" She scoops me up. "I'm so sorry. I am so sorry, I forgot you were back there."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Peaches is looking at me, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm okay, Peaches. Don't worry." I rub my nose, and feel warm, sticky blood on my hand. My nose is bleeding slightly, but I'm more concerned about my eye, which I can feel swelling and darkening.

"Well that could've gone better." I say to no one in particular.

"Ooh," Diego says, "That's one heck of a black eye."

"Guys, I don't care about my eye right now. It doesn't hurt that much; now can we please high tail it to my burrow?" Truthfully, it does kind of hurt a lot, but I want to get Peaches her necklace and get back to the cave as quickly as we can.

"Yeah." Shira confirms.

"Well then," Peaches continues, "Let's head out."

Maybe I merely have a concussion, but there's something dazzling, head-spinning, about this whole thing. I still don't know if Peaches l-loves me back, but she's holding me so caringly and benevolently. She's holding me the way I'd hold her if we switched places and I was a mammoth and she a molehog. Like I'm something loveable, she doesn't want to let go of me, but she doesn't want to hold on too tight either. She's enwrapping me as if she feels guilty for accidentally lashing me with that stick, but I don't want her to feel guilty. She's fantastic, outright blindingly fantastic.

I hold onto Peaches as we walk. Not hard, but just enough that I hope she gets it. I sit still in Peaches' trunk and just exist, not caring about anything. Of course, it's more like a shaky, staccato of caring about everything at once. But it's hard to distinguish between pure empathy and just plain apathy, not that I'm at either of those extremes.

I'm just happy. Happy to be in Peaches' embrace. Happy to have friends who care enough about me to push me to say what I need to. Happy because otherwise I'd be miserable, and happy that it doesn't crush me to recognize that.

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**This chapter's song is "Say" by John Mayer.**


	12. Chapter 12

The ground is muddy and cold as Peaches sits me down next to my burrow. I scurry in carefully so I don't knock my leg on anything. My eyes adjust quickly and I look around. After a few seconds I realize I can't find it. It's not in here! _Where is it!?_

"Oh!" Peaches cries from up above. I dig up quickly, struggling with my leg.

"What's wrong!?" I shout as my head pokes through the dirt.

"Nothing." Shira says, rolling here eyes at my concern. I look over at Peaches and see that she's holding her necklace in her trunk. It's damaged but, for the most part, still in one piece. I sigh with relief.

"Is this what you were so anxious to get?" She asks, her eyes beaming.

"Yes. I made it for you." I say quietly. She puts it in my hand and kneels down; I loop the tattered necklace around her neck. I step back and stare at her. She looks at me excitedly, and rushes over to a mud puddle to see for herself.

She gazes into the pond with a somewhat blank expression for what feels like forever. Then I see it- a single tear fall off the curve of her trunk, dripping into that crappy puddle. I'm crushed; I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack and die right here. But then, slowly, silently Peaches cracks a smile. Not a big one, just a little grin, but it's so much more than enough. I try to run to her, which results in me falling flat on my face. My leg is searing as Peaches picks me up. It hurts, but with a strange new flavor, like a bunch of sharp needles resting on it. Not quite puncturing the skin, but it feels like they might if I move it even slightly.

"You've gotta stop trying to walk on that leg of yours." Peaches says playfully.

"So... you... like it?" I ask.

Just then she kisses me on the cheek. "I love it."

"Peaches, I... I... I, I, I..." I can't say it! I want to so badly, but I can't! _Why!? Why can't I say it!? _Louis, you shy, over-complicating, inconsiderate jerk! Tell Her! Now! Ahhh!

"Shhhh... Calm down Louis. I know." Peaches says sweetly, her voice like honeysuckle.

"Aw!" Shira says, and I glance over at her, blushing. She's leaning up against Diego romantically. I grin a little, but I kind of just want to cry.

Peaches pulls me into a hug. I announce, "I'm going to cry now, and I haven't the slightest idea why." Peaches hugs me tighter. I laugh, or more hiccup, and feel little waterways run down my face and into Peaches' fur. I burry my face into her, wrapping my arms around her trunk. She smells like flowers and rain.

I could get lost in this, just sitting here forever. Just thinking, just breathing, just being.

Peaches is still hugging me, but I hear Diego whine.

He clears his throat and says, "Guys, we should probably get back to the cave now."

"Just one more minute?" Peaches asks; she strokes my head lightly and I smile ear-to-ear.

"Fine, but we need to get goi- Ow! What the!?" An acorn flies through the air and nails Diego on the nose. There's a little chuckle and Diego spins around angrily and confused, looking for whoever threw the acorn. Another one speeds out of a bush towards Diego, but he sees it and jumps out of the way, tripping on a tree root and summersaulting to the ground. Whatever it is laughs hysterically at the show. Diego gets up; furiously, he roars and tackles the bush. He comes back holding a terrified, but surprisingly unharmed, possum in his mouth. Diego dumps him on the ground, his longer-than-average, white fur clumping with dirt and spit. He looks around at all of us nervously through his icy blue eyes. I'd guess he's no older than Peaches' uncles. Diego is glaring at him; he makes a pathetic whimper and covers his face.

"What's the big idea, kid!?" Diego shouts at him. He whimpers and starts crying. I feel a little bad for him; he was just having some fun. Diego growls at him ferociously, and he shrieks and his face gets even paler.

"Diego, stop it." I hear myself say. Without even noticing, I've started climbing down off Peaches. I slide down her trunk and land directly on my bad leg. I groan with pain but hop over to the possum. I sit down next to him and sling one arm on his shoulders, and I stoke his head with my free hand the same way Peaches did to me. Copying her in an attempt to calm him down. _Wow, I'm not very good at this whole 'people' thing, am I?_

"It's okay." I try to say in that voice Peaches said she likes. "We're not gunna hurt you."

He smiles at me sheepishly, still crying. "Promise?" He asks.

"Promise." I reply, leaning toward him to look him in the eye. For a half-second, something rushes through his head. He stares into my eyes and slowly leans forward, then he snaps out of his daze and throws his arms around me. I'm a bit surprised, but I put my arms around him, too.

He pulls away abruptly after a few long seconds and wipes the snot from his sniffling nose, tears still staining his face. He takes a long breathe then stares at me intently.

"Thank you." He says in a way that sends shivers down my spine.

"No problem." I say, drawing out the last syllable in a vain attempt to avoid small talk. Small talk has to be the very bane of my existence; I can't carry out a half-way decent or productive conversation to save my life. I always ask big, personal questions that have the possibility of taking hours of explanation to answer in any coherent way.

"What's your name?" He asks.

I give a half-hearted, "Louis. What's yours?" I'm too busy doubting myself to think right now. I sit up straight and listen attentively; even though I didn't ask with much enthusiasm, I'm still curious to know.

"Ja- James." He responds, "My name's James."

"I'd hate to interrupt... whatever it is that's going on between you two, but we have got to get going." Diego says. He laughs as we jump away from each other, embarrassed and blushing.

"Here," Peaches says, letting us climb on her trunk, "you can ride on my back."

We get situated and start walking back toward the cave. The sun is up in the sky now, and the fog has almost completely dissipated.

"So," I say to James, "Where does your family live? I'm sure we could make a detour and drop you off there."

"Well... I kinda don't... have... a family." He says solemnly.

"Oh, uh... sorry..." I say. _What were you honestly expecting, Louis? That it would all just be simple for once?_

"It's fine. You didn't know." He pats me on the back, then proceeds to try to shake the pain out of his hand from slapping me right on my spines.

I snicker and say, "If it makes you feel any better, neither do I."

He smiles at me strangely, like he's thinking about something that hurts far more than my spines but is trying not to show it.

"You're welcome to come back with us, James." Peaches suggests.

"Yeah," Diego says sarcastically, "just what we need- another annoying possum." James frowns a little, disappointed.

"He's kidding." Shira says, and James smiles with that weird smile again.

"Sure I was." Diego says, "Now let's get out of here."

I lay down on my stomach and spread my arms out, hugging as much of Peaches as I can. _Why couldn't I have just told her? _I mouth the words 'I love you' into her back and tilt my head to the side to see James. He's got a look in his eye that I'd probably get if I lost Peaches. I wonder what he's lost, and we start walking home with our strange new friend.

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**Well that was unexpected... This chapter was supposed to be when Louis actually told her, but then this happened. Hmm... I still like it, though. Anyway, this chapter's song is "Collide" by Howie Day.**


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